Advertise on podcast: City Manager Unfiltered

Last year, Mountlake Terrace City Manager Jeff Niten and his team launched their citizen academy. It was designed to teach local citizens about how their local government operates, foster an environment of transparency and community engagement, and hopefully create ambassadors who would then be able to share their newfound knowledge with others.  In this episode, Jeff talks about what he and his team learned about their community of 25,000 just north of Seattle and how they tweaked this year's upcoming structure and curriculum.  If you have considered starting your own citizen academy you will definitely want to check this episode out. SHOW NOTES: Link to Jeff Niten's LinkedIn profile Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Michael Patton is passionate about parks and recreation and he feels like the podcast has ignored this aspect of government operations for too long. A few weeks back he messaged me and articulated his case for why parks and recreation departments should be seen more as vital components of local government and not just "nice to haves" or afterthoughts in the eyes of the city manager. And speaking of city management, Michael thinks that parks and recreation directors possess a vast array of skills and experiences that should help them be successful city and county managers. SHOW NOTES: Link to Michael Patton's LinkedIn profile  Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest tried to beat his alcohol addiction numerous times, but failed repeatedly. In this powerful episode, Matthew "Matt" McManus pulls back the curtains and transparently talks about his journey to sobriety, why he became an alcoholic, and what motivated him to change once and for all. If you are struggling with some sort of addiction, it is my hope that this episode gives you the motivation to keep fighting and striving to live the life you want to live. You and your loved ones deserve it.  The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has a page dedicated to finding resources to assist you on your journey to sobriety. SHOW NOTES: Links to Matthew McManus' LinkedIn profile and Facebook profile Link to Matt's "Pension Protectors" podcast Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Before becoming a city manager, Chris Mann built a career around public affairs, public relations, and political campaign messaging. In this episode, we talk about how important it is for city managers and other public sector executives to cultivate an image or identity that they can use to differentiate themselves during the job search process. By narrating your own story, you will be able to illustrate and articulate how your skills and abilities uniquely position for success. We also spend time talking about how we both pivoted from the world of politics into the city management profession and walked a very non-traditional path.   SHOW NOTES: Links to Chris Mann's LinkedIn profile and Gov360 Podcast Previous interview with Chris: Ep. 127: Knowing Your Why & Being Prepared to Execute Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

We all have some wild and funny stories from our city manager careers. Why? Because we interact with people on a daily basis and people are crazy! In this episode, Tim Rundel, one of the most popular guests of the show, recounts the insanities and inanities of his city management life spanning stints in California and Oklahoma.  If you have some funny stories, surreal first council meetings, or absolutely incredible first-day on the job stories -- and you want to share them on the podcast -- please get in touch. I would love to feature you on the podcast in either a stand alone episode or in a compilation episode featuring contributions from other managers. SHOW NOTES: Tim Rundel's LinkedIn profile Previous interviews with Tim: Ep. 8: City of Weed: A Sitcom About City Manager Life Ep. 110: It Just Takes One to Ruin It Ep. 111: We Carry the Trauma to Our Next Job Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 2 of a two part series so tune back in next week. You can catch Part 1 here. If you did not listen to my very first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this link and check out Episode 133 published on November 19, 2025. You can read all court filings by going to this link: https://www.civitekflorida.com/ocrs/county/66/disclaimer.xhtml After checking the disclaimer, type in my first and last name, and then check the "Felony" box. SHOW NOTES: Katie Bogenschutz' LinkedIn Profile and website Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My criminal defense attorney, Katie Bogenschutz, sat down with me again to update you all on my case down in Florida. We also discuss various aspects and nuances of a criminal case. This is Part 1 of a two part series so tune back in next week. If you did not listen to my first interview with Katie where we broke down the charges filed against me, please go to this link and check out Episode 133 published on November 19, 2025. You can read all court filings by going to this link: https://www.civitekflorida.com/ocrs/county/66/disclaimer.xhtml After checking the disclaimer, type in my first and last name, and then check the "Felony" box. SHOW NOTES: Katie Bogenschutz' LinkedIn Profile and website Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://cmnews.beehiiv.com/ AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

CAUGHT ON TAPE!  In this episode, we have a recorded phone conversation between a city manager and a state transportation official who was cited on a criminal trespassing charge. The state official repeatedly suggests that he will make things difficult for the city manager and his city if the charge is not taken care of. Such was the dilemma facing Brian Daily when he was serving as the city manager for a small town in Kansas. Brian was also a guest on Episode 109 of the podcast where we talked about how he had saved taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars simply by reviewing their property and liability insurance coverage. You can listen to that episode here. SHOW NOTES Brian Daily's LinkedIn Profile AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Chris Gilbert intrinsically believes that when residents feel seen, heard, and cared for, they become more supportive and trusting of their government.  He argues that "customer service" is the transactional act of doing what needs to be done for the customer. However, municipal hospitality is centered around how you make residents feel during and after the delivery of services to them. The Springfield Township administrator launched Municipal Hospitality Advisors after a fateful celebratory birthday dinner with his wife whereupon he was blown away by the actions of the restaurant owner. That experience and the general approach of the hospitality industry towards providing value and memorable experiences to their guests formed the foundation for Gilbert's trainings. SHOW NOTES: Chris Gilbert's LinkedIn Profile and website: https://www.municipalhospitality.com/ To learn more about Sam Toles' social media training for elected officials, go to: https://civisocial.com/aame AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you want to be a better leader, you have to understand your behavioral preferences and deficiencies and those of your executive team and senior leadership. And the Harrison Assessment can help you. A couple of months ago, the fellas at The Mental Hygiene Project shepherded me through it. Michael Stahl and Ryan Gallik went through an hour long debrief identifying my core strengths and where I could improve. I enjoyed the process and found the results insightful and illuminating.  In this episode, we discuss leadership development and also break down a program they offer local governments to improve employee mental health. It is called Psychological Empowerment 360. SHOW NOTES: To get the special promotional price discount offered to podcast listeners, go to: https://mentalhygieneproject.com/cmu/ Michael Stahl's LinkedIn page Ryan Gallik's LinkedIn page To learn more about Sam Toles' social media training for elected officials, go to: https://civisocial.com/aame AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

In October, Mike Mortell was caught flat-footed when he learned that his fate was sealed and that he would be fired a couple of weeks later. The city manager for Stuart, Florida didn't take it lying down or run off with his tail between his legs. After enduring months of "social media slander" and the machinations of an elected official who orchestrated his ouster, Mortell had to sit through hours of a council meeting before getting the opportunity to speak -- shortly before his inevitable termination. Mortell made a passionate defense of his tenure and attempted to set the record straight on the allegations leveled against him. This episode features the audio from that meeting and I have to ask -- is this not a masterclass on how to defend your reputation when you are being terminated? SHOW NOTES: To learn more about Sam Toles' social media training for elected officials, go to: https://civisocial.com/aame AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

On this special episode of the podcast, Katie Bogenschutz, my criminal defense attorney joins me to discuss the case and break down my two felony charges. I provide a bit more context about my time in Walton County, Florida, and how we got to this point. Additionally, we talk about the terms of the pre-trial diversion offer extended to me by the prosecutor and the discussion we had as to whether I should accept it. At the time of this recording, three depositions had taken place, but only two transcripts had been received and published by the Clerk of the Court. Since this episode was recorded, the transcripts for the deposition of Keith Riddick, the FDLE investigator, have since been made available.  You can read all court filings by going to this link: https://www.civitekflorida.com/ocrs/county/66/disclaimer.xhtml After checking the disclaimer, type in my first and last name, and then check the "Felony" box. SHOW NOTES: Katie Bogenschutz' LinkedIn Profile and website AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Mitch Hammes has a built a national reputation as "That Code Enforcement Guy" having worked himself up front the frontlines as a code enforcement officer all the way to the top as a city administrator. In this episode, we avoid getting into the weeds and examine code enforcement related topics at the 30,000 foot level in a manner that his hopefully more relevant to city managers and executives. In essence, I wanted to give a voice to the code enforcement officers on the frontlines and allow them to speak to their city managers and department heads through the voice and experience of Mitch -- who has walked their path. Cool note! When Mitch stopped by my home in Wichita to record this episode in person, he was a finalist for his first city manager gig. Shortly after recording this interview he was selected to lead the city of Lamar, Colorado, and started at the end of October. SHOW NOTES: Mitch Hammes' LinkedIn profile Website for "That Code Enforcement Guy" AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This is the second installment in our new "Black City Manager" series featuring Troy Body, the city manager for Hopkinsville, Kentucky. "I can't love your neighborhood more than you love it," Troy explains as we navigate his philosophical approach to city management. He uses the "pick up the can" metaphor to explain how he believe residents must taker ownership for the condition of their own neighborhoods and community.  At the end of the day, he says that the residents "have to meet me halfway" for true change to take place. He also states that too many city managers oversell and overhype themselves by projecting the idea that they are transformational leaders and that that can lead to conflict with elected officials and stakeholders.  SHOW NOTES: The LinkedIn page for "Black City Managers" Website for "Black City Managers" Troy Body's LinkedIn profile AAME MEMBERSHIP: To join the American Association of Municipal Executives (AAME), sign up at this link: https://community.aame.org/ AAME JOB BOARD: The AAME has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Are your elected officials overreacting to negative comments and criticism on social media? Tired of watching them get spun up by a handful of keyboard warriors living in their mother's basement? Then you need to enroll your elected officials in Sam Toles' new social media training course for elected officials. He is the social media master and a former council member.  Lean on his experience and expertise to show your governing body how to analyze and assess the social media landscape.  SHOW NOTES Sam Toles' LinkedIn profile Link to CiviSocial website Link to Sam Toles' New Book: The Social Media Playbook For Local Elected Officials Link to the AAME discount for the CiviSocial Social Medial Training for Elected Officials Link to CiviSocial's DeepFake Program Link to CiviSocial's Referendum Ready Program Sam previously appeared on the following episodes: Episode 67: Your City is Doing Social Media Wrong Episode 68: Keyboard Warriors & Social Media Terrorists Episode 108: Social Media Training for Elected Officials with Sam Toles Claim your FREE copy of "The Social Media Playbook for City & County Managers" at this link: https://civisocial.com/the-social-media-playbook   AAME JOB BOARD: The American Association of Municipal Executives has a free job board exclusively focused on executive and senior level local government recruitments. To post a job, go to: https://jobs.aame.org/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter hosted on LinkedIn. It is called the "City Manager News & Job Board" newsletter and can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/city-manager-rtrs-job-board-7164683251112992768/ If you would like to support the podcast by making a donation, please use the "Buy Me A Coffee" link. Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or your preferred platform if you enjoy the show. It helps tremendously. But more importantly, refer your friends and peers to podcast through personal conversations and posts on your social media platforms. Joe Turner's LinkedIn Page City Manager Unfiltered YouTube Page - Subscribe Today! Note: Page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.